The present disclosure relates generally to the field of glass substrate etching or texturing. More specifically, the disclosure relates to systems and methods for etching or texturing thin glass substrates to reduce specular reflection.
Glass substrates (e.g., soda-lime glass, soda-lime silicate glass, alkali silicate glass, etc.) can be etched or textured to reduce specular reflectance and minimize diffuse reflectance while increasing haze. Conventional processes often use hydrofluoric or hydrochloric acid to etch the glass substrate. These conventional processes have difficulty etching thin soda-lime substrates (e.g., less than about 1 mm, less than about 0.7 mm, etc.) due to the aggressive nature of the acid. These acids (e.g., hydrofluoric acid or hydrochloric acid) are difficult to control without large reduction in glass mass, which can lead to poke-through points or a less durable substrate for example.
What is needed is a texturing system and method capable of etching a thin glass substrate to reduce specular reflectance and minimize diffuse reflectance while increasing haze without a large reduction in glass mass. What is also needed is a system and method for texturing a glass substrate in which the etching depth is highly controllable. What is further needed is a system and method for texturing a glass substrate using a more controllable agent. What is still further needed is a texturing system and method capable of etching a thin soda-lime or soda-lime silica glass substrate to reduce specular reflectance and minimize diffuse reflectance while increasing haze without a large reduction in glass mass.